PEOPLE
Edited by Jennifer Davis

Senate confirms school board

State senators voted to reappoint four members of the State Board of Education. But not before chastising them for past conduct. Bill Hill of Charleston, Jim Palos of Chicago, Harry Litchfield of Coal Valley and Sandra Pelligrino of Peoria were confirmed last month. The senators, who approved all of the members of the newly constituted board, held up the reappointments in order to review a report by Auditor General William Holland. Holland's audit cited the board for issuing dozens of contracts without putting them out for bid, failing to monitor millions in federal funds and extending school Superintendent Joseph Spagnolo's contract despite an internal audit that questioned his spending practices. The Senate confirmed the other five appointments in January.

Illinois Environmental Council director moves on

Virginia Scott has left the Illinois Environmental Council, not the battle to save the environment.

Scott, who spent nearly 20 years with the council, including more than a decade as its executive director, wants to make clear she has not left her favorite cause behind.

"I have several irons in the fire," says Scott, adding she'll end up "somewhere in the environmental world."

Scott officially stepped down on February 28. Her successor has yet to be named.

The Illinois Environmental Council lobbies the General Assembly on behalf of some 70 environmental groups.

Shifts at the Top • Dennis R. Whetstone, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, will take over as president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce on April 7. He succeeds Sally A. Jackson, who left the chamber March 1 to head the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce in Columbus, Ohio. Whetstone, who was with the department and predecessor agencies for 20 years, was named DCCA director in January 1995. • Nick Gantes of Chicago will be the acting director of the Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse until the agency merges with the new Department of Human Services July 1. Gantes replaces Barbara Cimaglio, who took a job in Oregon. • After 18 years in office and with 20 months left in his fifth term. Democratic Cook County Assessor Thomas C. Hynes resigned to spend more time with his family. Hynes says he decided not to seek a sixth term because a planned $32 million automation project will take six years to complete and "it is important to have someone in charge who can see it through to a successful conclusion." Hynes recommended former state Rep. James Houlihan as his successor. The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the choice. Houlihan represented Chicago's Near North Side in the Illinois House from 1972 to 1978. Hynes served in the Illinois Senate from 1970 to 1978, the last two years as president. He will remain active in politics and retain his post as Democratic Party committeeman of the 19th Ward on Chicago's Southwest Side. • House Republican Leader Lee A. Daniels has chosen Brian Timpone as his spokesperson. Timpone replaces Mike Cys, who was moved to Chicago where he'll focus on campaigns. Timpone, 24, of Chicago was with WCIA-TV in Champaign for about nine months prior to his appointment. "This is not something I expected when I moved to Springfield, but the opportunity presented itself and I thought long and hard about it." • Former Statehouse reporter, state treasurer spokesman, political candidate and computer guru Jim Howard has a new title: executive director of Illinois Common Cause. "I'm now where I think I fit very well," Howard says. He took the post on March 24.

34 / April 1997 Illinois Issues

No bench time for ex-baseball lobbyist Gene Callahan

Retirement. A license to lounge. Not so for Gene Callahan, now former Major League Baseball lobbyist and well-known political adviser. Callahan has no use for lazy people, as U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin once said (See Illinois Issues, November 1994, page 17). Even now. "Our stuff arrived on a Tuesday and we left that Thursday," says Callahan, who sold his house in Washington, D.C., and moved back to Springfield — only to hit the road with his wife Ann and their son Dan, the head coach of the baseball team at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

"We haven't even unpacked yet."

Anyone who knows this former Milford farm boy also knows that baseball is his first love — so traveling cross-country with a college baseball team is relaxation.

"Baseball has been very, very good to me," Callahan told Illinois Issues last month from some hotel in Lubbock, Texas.

He has definitely returned the favor.

Although he officially retired from lobbying for Major League Baseball February 1, Callahan still calls in twice a day and will until his successor is named. After that, he says, he'll help that person in whatever way he can for up to a year.

And having Callahan — with his savvy and his extensive political contacts — is an invaluable asset for anyone, as his former bosses have attested.

"There aren't many people like Gene around, ever," former U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon of Illinois once said of his former right-hand man. "At a time when honesty is in decline, civility is dying and honor is gone, Callahan is one of the last true noble men."

Before working for Dixon, Callahan was administrative assistant and press secretary for then-Illinois Lt. Gov. Paul Simon. In the late '60s, Callahan was assistant press secretary to Illinois Gov. Samuel Shapiro. His varied career included a stint as a reporter in downstate Illinois.

"I work hard, and I play hard. This is play," says Callahan of his retirement. "I'm going to get to see four months of good college baseball."

First woman to head Field Museum board

Judy Block is not naive. She understands that her status as the first woman to head the Field Museum of Natural History's board is newsworthy. She just wishes it weren't.

"I far prefer that everyone have an opportunity to excel in whatever area they choose," says Block, who is known for her contributions and service to several Chicago cultural and civic organizations.

"I don't like to make gender an issue, but I'm not naive. I know this means a lot to people who have fought for years for equal rights for women."

As the board's chair, Block says she will continue her efforts to raise $60 million for the Chicago museum.

"We are just in the preliminary stages of our capital campaign, but we are doing extremely well," says Block, adding that the funds are slated for two new exhibits — one the largest and the other "one of the most important" in the museum's history. "Life Underground" will be the largest;

"Living Together" will show how different cultures solve similar problems.

The funds also will be put toward a permanent hall to house special exhibits.

"My priorities and those of the museum are very closely linked," says Block, who took over as chair on February 17. "I believe we need to articulate the importance of the museum's research and show everyone how applicable it is to daily life."

Block is involved in many philanthropic organizations, including the Chicago Community Trust, Northwestern University, Know Your Chicago, the Chicago Child Care Society and the United Way. She is also president of the Child Welfare League of America, a national organization representing child welfare agencies.

Illinois Issues April 1997 / 35

PEOPLE

Democratic congressman
announces bid for governor

U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard is well-known and well-liked in southern and central Illinois, yet he launched his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in Chicago. Nearly three-fourths of the votes cast in the 1994 Democratic primary were cast in Cook County.

The five-term congressman — who is for term limits and is keeping a promise not to seek re-election after 10 years in Washington — is the first Democrat to formally challenge Gov. Jim Edgar. Poshard, 51, of Marion argues that in the last six races Chicago Democrats have not been able to carry the downstate swing vote.

Poshard, who will not accept political action committee (PAC) money, has said he will limit individual contributions to his campaign to $2,000. He has set a goal of $1.7 million to use, in part, to gain name recognition in Chicago and the suburbs.

Poshard supports a balanced budget amendment to the federal Constitution and the Simon-Stratton recommendations for state campaign finance reform. He opposes abortion and gun control — but supports using technology for instant background checks for gun purchases. A strong supporter of labor, he opposed the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

He served in the state Senate from 1984 until his election to Congress in 1988. As a former educator and administrator, Poshard sees school funding reform as the major issue of the 1998 campaign for governor.

Vermilion County recorder replaces Woodyard Vermilion County Recorder Judy Myers doesn't expect to fill the shoes of the late state Sen. Harry "Babe" Woodyard. "I'm not even going to try," Myers said in a statement announcing her appointment to the seat in the 53rd District, which serves several counties in east central Illinois. "Senator Woodyard was one-of-a-kind. The best I can do is give my all." Woodyard, 66, died January 31 after suffering a massive stroke. He was recovering from surgery to repair a weak spot in his heart. (See Illinois Issues, March 1997, page 41.) Myers, of Danville, who has served as Vermilion County recorder since 1980, was unanimously chosen by the six Republican County chairmen in the district. She was sworn in March 4. "There's only one Babe Woodyard," Republican state Rep. Bill Black of Danville said in a statement. "[But] they're cut from the same cloth." Until he withdrew his name from consideration, Black was the favorite to replace Woodyard. But as a veteran member and assistant minority leader in the House, he would have lost both salary and stature by switching chambers. With Woodyard's old Senate seat now occupied by a freshman, that district is expected to be hotly contested by Democrats in 1998.

APPOINTMENTS

Steven M. Brown will head the Public Affairs units at Northeastern Illinois University. Brown is a professor of educational administration at Northeastern.

Wynne Coplea is now a recycling educator with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. She was Sangamon County's solid waste coordinator.

Gail McGrady-Lutz has been appointed director of human resources at Governors State University. She was director of personnel and human resources and an affirmative action officer at John A. Logan College in Carterville.

Jo Anne Nast, director of development at John A. Logan College, has been selected to participate in the Illinois Academic Standards Project. The Illinois State Board of Education selected Nast, who will join the committee in evaluating draft social science standards for elementary students.

36 / April 1997 Illinois Issues

Senators name panels on judicial vacancies

U.S. Sens. Carol Moseley-Braun and Richard Durbin have chosen 27 Illinoisans for three merit commissions that will help the senators find the most qualified candidates to fill vacancies on federal courts in Illinois.

The commissions will submit to the senators as many as three names to fill each of the five vacancies on federal courts in Illinois. The senators will make the final selections and submit their recommendations to President Bill Clinton. The president's nominations then have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The commission for the northern district of Illinois is chaired by former U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Sullivan, who is a partner in the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block. The members of that panel are: retired U.S. District Court judges George N. Leighton and Frank J. McGarr; Chicago attorneys Martin R. Castro, Reuben L. Hedlund, Mercedes A. Laing, Christina M. Tchen and Scott Turow, the author; and Waukegan attorney David A. Decker.

The commission for the central district is headed by Clarence A. Darrow, a former state legislator and state court judge from Rock Island now in private practice. Other attorneys on that panel are Harlan Heller of Mattoon and Thomas F. Londrigan and Thomas R. Wetzler of Springfield. Also serving on the panel are Naomi Lynn of Springfield, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Springfield; Lucy Murphy of Decatur, executive director of the United Way of Decatur/Macon County; Diane Pinderhughes of Urbana, political science professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Catherine Shannon of Springfield, political director for the state AFL-CIO; and Victor Stone of Urbana, professor emeritus of law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The commission for the southern district is headed by attorney J. William Lucco of Edwardsville. Other attorneys on the panel are Patrick M. Flynn of Belleville, Paul D. Giamanco of Mt. Vernon, Eugene E. Gross of DuQuoin, Robert Howerton of Marion and Jackson County Assistant State's Attorney Sheila Simon of Carbondale. Others on the panel are Barbara Brown, political science professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Bennett Dickmann of Edwardsville, Edwardsville chief of police; and Richard Mark, chief executive officer at St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Eouis.

Community college president elected to national education post Vernon O. Crawley, president of Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, was elected to the American Council on Education's board of directors. The council is an umbrella organization for the nation's colleges and universities.

Illinois Issues April 1997 / 37

PEOPLE

Boards and Commissions

Last month, Gov. Jim Edgar appointed and reappointed members to numerous boards and commissions.

Appointed to the State Banking Board of Illinois were Dennis Long of Rantoul, board chairman at the Bank of Rantoul; Gary Edwards of Quincy, president and CEO of Golden State Bank; Paul Reagan of Glencoe, general counsel of the Harris Bankcorp; Judith Quesenberry of Olive Branch, CEO of the First State Bank of Grand Chain. Reappointed to the board was Donald Gutowski of Norridge, former engineer-branch manager of Gutowski Inc. Board members are paid expenses, and their appointments require state Senate confirmation.

Appointed to the Illinois Arts Council was Margaret Kenny of Glenview, a self-employed vocalist. She will be paid expenses only. Her appointment does not require Senate approval.

Appointed to the Illinois Humanities Council was Joanne Maxwell of Naperville, president of Attention! Inc. She will be paid expenses only, and her appointment does not require Senate approval.

Reappointed to the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission was Susan Suter of Dawson, president of the World Institute on Disability. She will be paid expenses only, and her appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Appointed to the Illinois Health Care Cost Containment Council was Irv Smith of Springfield, chairman of the Sangamon County Republican Central Committee and a Springfield city councilman. He will be paid expenses and per diem, and his appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Appointed to the Agricultural Export Advisory Committee were Robilee Garrison of Virden, international sales administrator for Dickey- John Corp. and Bruce Leman of Roanoke, partner of Lone Willow Farm. Members are paid expenses only, and their appointments require Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Board of Agricultural Advisors were Susan Adams of Atlanta, a self-employed farmer; Doris Hoener of Quincy, retired manager for the Moorman Manufacturing Co.; William Mullins of Shabbona, vice president of Merrill Lynch; David Rolf of Springfield, attorney and partner with Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen and Cochran Ltd.; Jon Ware of Jacksonville, president of Wareco Services Inc. Members are not paid, and their appointments require Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Advisory Board of Livestock Commissioners was Donald Peter of Quincy, owner of Peter Farms. He will be paid expenses only, and the appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority were Joseph Ward of Joliet, treasurer for the International Union of Operating Engineers, and Raymond Rossi of Frankfort, president of Bishop, Rossi and Scarlati Ltd. Members are paid expenses only, and their appointments require Senate confirmation.

Appointed to the Women's Business Ownership Council was Pamela McDonough of Springfield, president of McDonough Consulting. Reappointed to the council was Hedy Ratner of Chicago, co-director of the Women's Business Development Center and the Chicago Institute for Economic Development. They will be paid expenses. Their appointments don't require Senate approval.

Appointed to the Business Enterprise Council/or Minorities, Females and Persons with Disabilities were Joann Kambitch of Springfield, president and owner of Man That's Hot! Inc. and Carole Raffin-Zordani of Chicago, president of Scale Construction Inc. Members are paid expenses only, and their appointments do not require Senate confirmation.

Appointed to the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities was Joyce Skoog of Hinsdale, manager of communications and civic affairs at Arthur Anderson, LLR Reappointed was Brenda Yarnell of Sherman, executive director for United Cerebral Palsy of the Land of Lincoln. Members are paid expenses and per diem, and their appointments do not require Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Governor's Physical Fitness and Sports Council were H. David Fry of Bloomington, executive director of the Illinois High School Association and Rainer Martens of Champaign, president of Human Kinetics. Members are not paid a salary, and their appointments do not require Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Health and Physical Fitness Advisory Committee was Willye White of Chicago, staff assistant for the Chicago Department of Public Health. She will be paid expenses only, and her appointment does not require Senate confirmation.

Reappointed to the Illinois Educational Facilities Authority was John Tilton of River Forest, president of Tilton and Lewis Associates, Inc. He will be paid expenses only, and his appointment does not require Senate confirmation.

38 /April 1997 Illinois Issues